One iPad Topic To Rule Them All

As I'm sure many of you already know, Apple today announced a tablet device called the iPad. What are your thoughts on it? I personally think that it's an over-sized iPod Touch (or iPhone if you get one with 3G connectivity), even though I can see it as Apple's answer to a netbook. Personally, it's something that I wouldn't get, but I know others don't share the same view as me. How about you?

I agree that it seems pointless and actually poorly designed. The interface is near identical to the iPhone interface, an interface well suited to its device. The problem is, this is a different device. Yes, its similar, only bigger, but that's the issue. It's bigger. The interface works well using thumbs on iPhone, but on iPad, its too big to be used with only thumbs. This means you either need to set it down/prop it up on something, or hold it with one hand and operate it with the other. Either could be potentially awkward.

I'd say it won't be that much of a success. I mean, it can't do as much as a laptop, and it isn't as portable as a phone. If someone has an iPhone, they probably won't get an iPad as well. If you have a laptop, there's little need for an iPad. If you have neither, you're more likely to buy one of them than an iPad. The only people I can really see purchasing the device are Apple fanboys who buy everything they release and upgrade their MacBook Pro and iPhone every year.

The main problem in my opinion is the interface. A better interface could make it into a far more desirable device. There was a mock-up youtube video I saw the other day which was pretty nice looking, but the actual interface doesn't seem suited to the device. It seems almost as if they were rushing and thought "Let's just stick the iPhone interface on it, no one will mind" instead of taking the time to create a unique and revolutionary interface.

Sorry for long post, just started typing and got into a bit of a rant =P

I thought it looked cool, but considering I'm typing this on my iPod touch I have no need for it. Though it would be nice as sort of a family iPod, think about it more than one person can watch it at a time, it has a bigger screen for web browsing, and it's big enough not to get lost easily.

QuoteCriscoI thought it looked cool, but considering I'm typing this on my iPod touch I have no need for it. Though it would be nice as sort of a family iPod, think about it more than one person can watch it at a time, it has a bigger screen for web browsing, and it's big enough not to get lost easily.

I kind of agree with you there, but I'm not gonna spend $499 on something that isn't really necessary.

Quotedirtrider73068For 500 bucks you can a small notebook or one of those small laptops. 500 hundred is asking alot, but when you look at other apple stuff its all exspensive, if you ask me, its just the apple name.

Yeah, I have to agree with you there. That's the one thing about Apple: they're expensive! I agreed with the iPad video where they said that the price was unbelievable! Being an owner of Apple products myself (I'm typing this on my 15" MacBook Pro), I must say that the price tag wasn't worth the product. I do feel, though, that the iPad could have one distinct advantage to it: being a fancy e-reader. I believe the other two major rivals out there in the e-reader market are Sony with their e-reader and Amazon with their Kindle. Past that, I think the iPhone and iPod Touch do a better job at what the iPad can do, minus the bigger screen size.

One of the really big issues is that Apple's over-bearing control of the software able to be run on the device. As with the iPod Touch and iPhone, apps have to be submitted to App Store, approved and have to follow certain rules and have limited control. They claim it is to protect users, by only allowing safe and appropriate apps to be run, but if you bought a netbook and found you could only run applications approved by the company who made it, you would be VERY annoyed. And Apple is pitching this as an alternative to a netbook, from my reading of websites and stuff. It is preposterous to me that a company should be able to control the software run on a device to such a degree.

Of course, there will no doubt be a jailbreak developed for it sooner or later, and then it will become a better device, but it shouldn't need hacking for basic things like multi-tasking. Again, if you bought a netbook and couldn't multi-task, you'd be annoyed. If its being pitched as a netbook alternative, it NEEDS to be able to play music and browse the web at the same time, while having a document editor open in the background and an IM app running as well, as it is not unusual for a computer to be running all those things at once.

But it really seems like they could find some way to fit Mac OS X on there, they could take out some of the useless features, and then they could just add touch capibilities to OS X and then they have a portable Mac :D.

iPhone OS is much less hardware intensive i.e. it will be faster than Mac OS X on cheaper (i.e. worse) hardware. This keeps the cost for Apple low, meaning the profit is high (as with most of Apple's products, it is ridiculously over-priced IMO)